260 ON THE CHOICE OF 



and of a healthy appearance. Whether they have been 

 grafted or budded, be careful to select such as have been 

 worked on young stocks. Grafts and buds inserted into 

 old crooked stunted stocks, seldom succeed well. Trees 

 that are healthy, have always a smooth, clean, shining bark ; 

 such as are mossy, or have a rough wrinkled bark, or are 

 the least affected by canker, should be rejected. Canker is 

 discoverable in the young wood, and generally two or three 

 inches above the graft or bud. If the tree be an Apricot, 

 Nectarine, Peach, or Plum, and any gum appears on the 

 lower part of it, do not fix upon that. Let the tree you 

 select (if a dwarf) be worked about six inches from the 

 ground, and only one graft or bud should be upon each 

 stock, for when there are more, the tree cannot be brought 

 to so handsome a form. 



In some of the following articles, I have shown that 

 several descriptions of trees may be transplanted with safety, 

 even when far advanced in growth. When trees of four or 

 five years' growth, after heading down, that are healthy, and 

 well furnished with fruit-bearing wood, close up to the cen- 

 tre of the tree, can be obtained, they will do very well; but 

 great care is requisite in taking up, removing, and planting 

 such. Let the tree be taken up with as great a portion 

 of the roots as possible, taking care not to bruise, split, or 

 damage them ; for want of attention to these points, trees 

 often become diseased. Whenever (notwithstanding all due 

 eaution) any roots have been accidentally broken, split, or 

 otherwise damaged in taking up the tree, let them be cut offj 

 or if they cannot be well ^spared, let the damaged or bruised 

 part be pared clean with a sharp knife, and a portion 

 of the following composition be spread over the wound, in 

 order to keep the wet from it, which would otherwise injure 

 the tree. To equal parts of soft soap and tar r add a little bees- 

 wax ; let them be boiled together, and when cold they may 

 be used. ^ The necessity of pruning-in and dressing man- 

 gled roots, is more particularly required in trees of the stone 

 fruit, such as Apricots, Nectarines, Peaches, Plums, &c. - t 

 for without the application of some remedy, they gum at the 

 roots, which defect, if not counteracted, very materially 



